Yesterday afternoon, Alaska’s progressive bloggers responded to the growing winter crisis in the lower Yukon villages, most notably Emmonak. As word spread of the looming food and fuel crisis there, we decided to get our reporter in (no simple task!), raise funds, and tell the true story of Alaska bloggers, and how we help each other in the Far North.

Longtime Alaska Report editor and owner (and one-time firedoglake videographer) Dennis Zaki found out about the looming crisis in Emmonak at the beginning of the week. He called around, and discovered that the crisis is real, and that no established news outlets in Alaska or Outside had intentions of going out there and getting some hard news stories and video footage together.

Dennis, though not a member of Alaskans for Truth, the small, close-knit group of progressive bloggers and community organizers who are trying to get our legislature to address executive ethics reform, sought our help early Wednesday afternoon. Collectively, we got out of our moms’ basements, shed our PJ’s, left the twinkies and bags of jolly ranchers on the coffee tables in front of our worn-out couches, and got to work.

Actually, we took time off from our jobs as teachers, merchants, public servants and blue-collar workers to get this important job underway.

Within five hours, collectively, we had raised almost $5,000.00 ($4,812.00).

The current plan is to get Dennis Zaki into Emmonak, via Bethel or Nome, by mid-day Friday. He plans to spend about four days on the lower Yukon, interviewing, getting help on stories from local young people interested in journalism, taking hundreds of photos and hours of video.

CNN has indicated they will reimburse Dennis’ expenses if he provides them with a real story, and Dennis is donating his fee to the people of Emmonak and the lower Yukon.

We wouldn’t have to be sending Dennis out there to do this if Alaska’s politicians did their job. As "pathetic," to borrow Gov. Palin’s term, as Alaska politicians have been on providing sensible infrastructure for Alaska’s rural communities, these past two years have been worse than usual. Last year, when state coffers were almost overflowing from high oil revenues, rather than address long-term rural needs, Gov. Palin decided to "spread the wealth," giving millionaires and oil company CEO’s the same $1,200.00 check received by single mothers without a job. Pushed by a governor about to gain the national limelight and a legislature coming up against a tight election cycle, it was some of the most shameless, self-serving political pandering I’ve ever seen, in a state noted for its ability to do just that.

That money could have funded enough wind power, tidal power projects and geothermal pilot programs connected to our universities and community colleges to turn Alaska into the 21st model of North American renewable resource development. We could have become, to borrow Don Young opponent Diane Benson’s term, "Iceland on steroids!"

Instead, we’re faced with people having to choose between feeding their kids, or keeping their kids warm at night. And the only politician willing to step up and help – Hugo Chavez.

We’re hoping Dennis will be able to get out tomorrow, as planned. Heavy storm passing through southcentral Alaska. We went from 25 to 30 below to 35 to 45 above in just over two days. Last night, it was blowing up to 80 knots at my house, with gusts far higher – they tore some roofing off of my shop. It is supposed to moderate this afternoon.

There has been a tremendous outpouring of money and donations of food from all over the country as well as the international community. The response to this need speaks to what can be done when “bored, pathetic and anonymous” bloggers, commenters and lurkers step up and do what needs to be done when an ego-centric person with an overblown self-image cannot see past her lipstick. It is unimaginable to suggest that this situation does not constitute an emergency To leave the Rural Cabinet post unfilled for THREE months is completely irresponsible. It was known months ago there would be problems this winter season yet nothing was done. Instead there is continued whining and blathering about a campaign that is long over and done. Images of Katrina keep floating in my head!

Those of us at Alaskans for Truth who started the fundraising efforts yesterday, mostly want to get Dennis Zaki into the area ASAP at this point. Once people see the situation and read about it more over the weekend, donations might grow rapidly.

Hopefully, this whole effort will lead to attention being brought toward a whole host of long-standing issues facing the communities in rural Alaska.

ET, Thank you so much for bringing this to bloggers’ attention. Last
night I read your post (as well as the Kos post) and found it difficult
to believe Gov. Palin is so out of it.

I made a $$ donation last night when the total amount was under $1,000.
Then I sent a note to Rachel Maddow asking her to look into “Alaska’s
Katrina” and to give it air time. I hope Rachel will do so – there is a
lot going on in D.C. with hearings and the inauguration and CYAs of the
bandits about to leave.

Yeah, pups. It’s starting to spill over into other relief and charity org efforts, as word spreads. And not just regarding Emmonak, but on other Yukon-Kuskokwim villages, and other parts of the Alaska bush. And we’re not expecting the fundraising to begin to gain major traction until DZ gets there.

Go ET! Wishes for a safe and successful trip for Dennis. Great idea to get the kids involved, *here* and *there.* Great shot of the kid there. The north is so beautiful, harsh but beautiful. Keep us posted.

Thanks, ET and all involved Alaska bloggers, for doing what the Alaska governor can’t seem to get around to (so busy whining, you know. ) The example you all are setting is uplifting and encouraging. American values in action.

Dugg…and Done.Keep up the fight — Sarah Palin’s behavior in this matter is moving rather swiftly into “Ceaucescu Cult of Personality” territory, in terms of her using funding for the department that could have helped in this matter to fund PR staffers for herself. I’m not sure if THIS will be enough to get Her Hiney-ness impeached, but I certainly hope the stinking pile has become tall enough for the smell to reach more people’s noses.

“I commend the respective leaders of AIDEA, GVEA, and Homer Electric Association for resolving their long-standing dispute, and putting the Healy Clean Coal Plant on a path toward providing a reliable source of electrical power for rate-payers up and down the Railbelt.

Andrew Halcro ( a former legislator, who ran against Palin in 2006) has a lot to say on how crooked this probably is:

Last week we reported on a pending deal being pushed by the Palin administration (link below) that had all the signs of a questionable deal being driven by politics and insider payoffs.

Today Governor Sarah Palin announced that her administration had come to a tentative agreement to sell the Healy Clean Coal Plant to the Golden Valley Electric Association after ten years of legal fighting which saw the state file suit against GVEA in 2005 for $167 million.

Department of Revenue Commissioner Pat Galvin stated that the “Terms of financing, specific sale agreements for the facility and a power sales agreement with all parties must be reached before a start up of HCCP can begin.”

Yeah, before you sign that deal….just a few questions.

And we here at andrewhalcro.com try and operate by the old saying; Don’t ask questions that you don’t already know the answers to.

After tireless research through hundreds of pages of legislative records, GVEA Board minutes, personal financial disclosures, tax returns, campaign donation reports and conversations with key sources… we ask the following questions.

But more importantly, we ask that the Alaska Legislature ask the following questions.

Has anyone from Governor Palin’s family benefited from consulting fees or any other monetary compensation from Golden Valley Electric or any legal firm or lobbyist representing GVEA?

Is it true that in January of 2007, Jim Palin, Todd’s father and former GM of Matanuska Valley Electric met in Juneau with his daughter in-laws staff (including Mike Tibbles and John Bitney) to advise them not to trust AIDEA in their dispute with GVEA over the Healy plant?

Is it true that Jim Palin through Todd, lobbied to get rid of Mike Barry, AIDEA Chairman and Ron Miller, AIDEA Executive Director because GVEA saw those two as roadblocks to getting the Healy plant for cheap? It was under Barry & Miller, that the litigation against GVEA was instigated.

Is it true that Tom Irwin lobbied to have the Alaska Energy Authority moved from AIDEA into the Department of Natural Resources?

Is it true that Tom Irwin lobbied Governor Palin in 2007 to replace Ron Miller, AIDEA Director, with Steve Haagenson who was the General Manager of GVEA?

Is it true that Haagenson hired Irwin when he suddenly quit the Murkowski administration back in November of 2005 after a disagreement over Murkowski’s handling of the natural gas pipeline contract?

Is it true that when it was pointed out that bringing Haagenson in directly from GVEA, who was in litigation with AIDEA over the Healy plant, would be a giant conflict of interest, Irwin pressed the administration to drop the lawsuit so they could hire Haagenson?

Is it true the Attorneys in the Department of Law convinced Palin that this was a bad idea?

Is it true that Irwin then changed tactics and had Galvin appoint John Kelsey, (Marty Rutherfords father) as Chairman of the AIDEA Board and then had Galvin tell AIDEA’s staff and lawyers that he was going to settle the Healy litigation?

Is it true that Irwin played a major role in getting Haagenson eventually hired as the head of the Alaska Energy Authority, a subset of AIDEA?

I think Sarah finds it very difficult to actually see what is going on…her head is so far into the trough that she’s over her ears in it – she knows who and what will benefit her and her family the most…and it is not the Alaskan Natives.

i have a wall of antique mirrors and above it in a place of honor is an official IHL dayton gems hockey stick -with a ‘happiness is hockey’ button stuck in it-from the days when gordie lane played for them before he went on to the ny islanders–that’s when i learned the hard reality that people do what they are paid to do when he was the ‘enforcer’ for them. so my dad explained. we knew him and he turned into a fighter. i was young, i didn’t get it. people do whta they have to do i guess..wonder where he is now.

Is it or is it not true that Mike Chenault was representing Homer Electric’s interest in buying the HCCP? And was HE’s offer more than GVEA? If so why take less money from GVEA? Does it go like this? Hey Sarah I will get Homer Electric to back off if you give them a sweetheart deal on half the juice that the HCCP produces, and by the way how about supporting the bill I am going to introduce to free up 1 billion of the Permanent Fund, which in part would give my old buddies at ANGDA access to 250 million. 250 million to cover their operating expenses while they bluff their way into a gas line that makes no sense. Because if they had a great proposal, why isn’t private capital tripping over themselves to get in on it? ANGDA wants the gas line coming into south central via the Glenn Highway when the route that makes most sense is via the rail belt energy corridor down the Parks Highway, the route Enstar wants to and will build their line. How funny will it look when a gas line is running past the front yard of the Healy Clean Coal Power Plant? Looks to me like Sarah is all done cleaning up the good old boys club and is jumping into bed with them. Don’t be thinking Harold Heinze and the boys are going to give you a better deal. You may think you are at the mercy of Enstar and Chugach, but the truth is Enstar and Chugach is at the mercy of the producers. Enstar wants to get a bullet line to South Central not to screw you but to get out from under the thumb of the good old boys. If you think ANGDA is going to get you cheap gas, you had better think again.

She is one world-class crook…

Mike Chennault is the new President of the Alaska Senate. He’s the highest-stake remaining recipient of funds from Veco. And – here he is in on the take, again.

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